One of my favorite roles to read are the connections made by the students....
Joan in "Bridge to Teribithia"....
This entire chapter reminded me of Christmas time at my house. Before Christmas everything is so crazy, but when Christmas day arrives everything just falls into place. Everyone is enjoying each other's company and just hanging out. At my house, Christmas time is about getting together and celebrating with family. I feel that this might have been the same at Jesse's house too. I really enjoyed reading this chapter because it related to my own life.
Jessica in "Holes".....
In chapter 26, the people of Green Lake kill Sam, a black man, for kissing Katherine, a white woman. The citizens believed that it was a sin for whites and blacks to be involved in relationships. This type of racism was the way our country was only 40 years ago. People were segregated and prejudice just like in the book. I'm glad that I don't live in a society that is still like that. Both in the book and in the past, white people would kill blacks sometimes for no reason at all. I'm happy that I live in a time when people are open to diversity. I think that it makes you become a better person to be open-minded to diversity and to celebrate the differences in people.
Brenda in "Missing May".....
In chapter 7, on page 54, Summer says "I saw that grin on his face, that glint in his eyes, and I knew that Ob had suddenly found himself a reason to get out of bed in the mornings, at least for a little while longer." This passage touched my heart. It makes me realize exactly how people feel after they lose a loved one. They feel as if they have no reason to get up and go on each day. Ob looks at Cletus as his savior, his survival. I think sometimes people come along after a loved one has passed in different ways. Sometimes a person will meet another mate to share their life with, and sometimes that savior comes in the package of someone like Cletus. As comical as it may seem, Cletus is just what Ob needs to continue on.
Jamie in "Number the Stars".....
In chapter 3, on page 24, Annemarie's mother says,"Friends will take care of them. That's what friend do." This phrase was in reference to what would happen to the Johansens if they lost everything, just as Ms. Hirsch with her button shop. This made me wonder which of my friends would step up and help me if I were in a time of need such as this.
People always assume that nothing bad, such as occurences in this book, would ever happen to them. I connected to this passage because if made me realize that aside from all of the great belongings I have in my life, my friends and family are the most important asset I will ever possess. Reading about difficult situations in books forces one to connect to that situation and reflect it in their own life. This book would work great in a classroom for students to recognize how thankful they should be for their friends, family, and country. |
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Sandy in "A Wrinkle in Time"..... |
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As Children we have this fantasy that our parents are all knowing, super-human beings. I did not figure out that my parents were not all powerful and knowing until my first year of college. Children figure it out at different times in their lives. Usually it happens when there is a traumatic or enormous change in your own life that we realize that our parents only know so much. Meg was upset with her father because he did not make everything better the second he was rescued. She was still imagining that that her father was going to make all the bad things go away and take them back home, then live happily ever after. It isn't until she realizes that her father can't do everything that she can value her own potential and abilities. - |
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Erica in "The View from Saturday".....
Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I am a giver. I love to give cards, gifts, and I am always sending someone a note of encouragement or just simply "thinking of you". As I read about Ethan's quest for a gift to take to Julian's tea party, I was reminded of a gift that I recently bought for a baby shower. Ethan knew want he wanted to get- a puzzle. When he went into the store, he found the puzzle that he wanted to get. The white circle puzzle was the one he wanted because it would be challenging to put together. When he asked the store clerk for the puzzle, Ethan just couldn't find one that was in stock. As a result, Ethan ended up with the pink heart puzzle with the small red piece in the center. The gift that I wanted for the baby shower was a leopard fleece blanket, which woud go perfectly in the baby's jungle-themed nursery. I wanted to make this baby a blanket out of leopard print fleece on one side with black fleece on the other as an accent. I already had the black fleece, but every fabric store in metro Atlanta (and beyond) was out of a pretty pattern of leopard fleece. I tried and tried for days, getting more frustrated than Ethan ever thought about being, but I had no luck. I didn't find the fleece in time for the shower, but don't worry- that baby's getting a blanket for Christmas (I've already gotten the fabric)!
Michelle in "The Giver".....
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So many people, even those in college, don't know what they want to do with their lives. I like that about this book, the students did community service and got to pick the areas they wanted to do it in. This idea really gave them a chance to start finding what might be right for them later on in life. Although I don't think we should force this idea on students, maybe we, as teachers, parents, adults, sisters, or brothers should suggest this idea to the young ones in our lives. Even better, maybe we should model this idea for them.
Suni in "The Witch of Blackbird Pond".....
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I think it is amazing how hard it is for people to see outside the box. In chapter 9, pg. 89, Mr. Kimberley, the schoolmaster, condemned Kit for allowing the students to act out the bible as a learning strategies. Because her idea was new and fresh it was frowned upon.
Kit's experience reminds me of all the ideas and inventions that were ridiculed at first, but later turned out to be great ideas. Education, for example, is one of those ideas. When the idea of higher education was first introduced, many people did not see the benefits of it. They felt that if they could survive with a 5th grade education then why did they need to go to middle, or higher grades. Today, however, education is very important, and a person may need higher learning in order to be successfull.
I think Kit was doing a good job of not thinking like the ordinary and doing things differently. She was smart to see that children needed different strategies to learning. What do you think of the importance or unimportance of thinking outside the box? |
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